Bec Oakes
The airline that 'incorrectly boarded' a six-year-old boy onto the wrong flight has responded to apologize for the mistake.
Last Thursday (December 21), six-year-old Casper was due to fly from Philadelphia to Southwest Florida Airport in Fort Myers with Spirit Airlines.
But much to his family's horror, when the plane arrived at its destination, he wasn't on it.
His grandmother, Maria Ramos, said she was told that he never got on the flight.
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She told WINK News: “They told me, ‘No, he’s not on this flight. He missed his flight.’
"I said, ‘No, he could not miss his flight because I have the check-in tag'."
She added: “I ran inside the plane to the flight attendant and I asked her, ‘Where’s my grandson? He was handed over to you at Philadelphia?’
"She said, ‘No, I had no kids with me.’”
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It turns out that, in a scene reminiscent of Christmas classic Home Alone 2 — in which Kevin gets on the wrong flight, leaving him stranded far away from his family — Casper had ended up on a flight bound for Orlando International Airport - more than 130 miles away.
Casper called his worried grandmother when he landed and Ramos ended up making a four-hour drive to collect her grandson - calling the situation 'one of the scariest experiences of her life'.
And Spirit Airlines has issued a statement apologizing for the mistake.
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They said: "On Dec. 21, an unaccompanied child traveling from Philadelphia (PHL) to Fort Myers (RSW) was incorrectly boarded on a flight to Orlando (MCO).
"The child was always under the care and supervision of a Spirit Team Member, and as soon as we discovered the error, we took immediate steps to communicate with the family and reconnect them.
"We take the safety and responsibility of transporting all of our Guests seriously and are conducting an international investigation. We apologize to the family for this experience."
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The budget airline has also offered to reimburse the cost of Ramos' drive.
The statement, however, did not address how the error came to take place.
Ramos said that she wants an explanation about how the mistake happened, saying: “I want them to call me. Let me know how my grandson ended up in Orlando.
"How did that happen? Did they get him off the plane?
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"The flight attendant – after mom handed him with paperwork – did she let him go by himself? He jumped in the wrong plane by himself?"
UNILAD has reached out to Spirit Airlines for further comment.